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To Lift, or Not To Lift

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Workouts for that Lovely Figure

By Cissy B.

Some of TGF's prettiest readers have agreed to share with us their favorite style, beauty and "how-to" tips. You can see more of Cissy by clicking on her photo.

A little more than a year ago nobody would have wanted my advice about how to pass for a woman. In addition to having very little feminine beauty competence, I was 30 lbs. overweight, broad shouldered, thick waisted and disproportionately muscular. Privately, I have dressed for my own edification but I never imagined that I could convincingly appear en-femme in public because until recently, I was certain that my fundamentally male appearance was insurmountable. But all of that changed.
Click to see her Personal Ad

These days I am a petite size 8/9. I have slim but nicely defined arms and shoulders, sexy legs and the suggestion of feminine hips. When I put my mind to it, I am able to portray on the outside, the woman I feel on the inside. In the right light, moving at the right speed I’ve happily been mistaken for a GG. So what changed?

On top of having been on a serious diet (I lost 35 lbs. with a reputable weight loss clinic), becoming a devoted follower of the TGF Memorial Beauty School (beauty tip archives), and siphoning a conspicuous amount of my annual salary into the purchase of quality wigs, cosmetics and clothing, I’ve been working out.

In the past I worked out so that I could look like a miniature (I’m 5’4") Schwarzenegger. This, of course, was in conflict with my emerging desire to look feminine. Given that I’m not ready for HRT and that I need to maintain a convincing male appearance for business, I had to find a way to make somewhat subtle changes to body. Knowing that I would still need to rely on the usual bodyshapers and pads, I decided I would find a way to "assist" those add-ons by making my body more feminine (or at least more androgynous) with exercise. So I lost weight, continued to run (6 - 12 miles per week) and I learned to work out like a girl (by watching women work out and by reading the exercise sections in women’s magazines).

Here’s the basic idea. On a typical guy there are several sets of muscles which can be shaped in order to achieve a more feminine appearance. Some of the muscle groups (arms, shoulders, back, some parts of the leg) need to be reduced and there are others which need to be developed (upper chest, hips, butt and parts of the leg.)

Muscle Groups to Reduce:

These muscles can be shaped nicely so that they’ll look well defined but smaller, enhancing both a feminine appearance while maintaining a masculine "shape". The key here is to do a variety of exercises which work these muscles but to do it with very low weight (well below or equal to your own body weight) and high numbers of repetitions(30-50). This makes the muscles smaller, "longer/slimmer" looking and more defined.

A) Shoulders (deltoids), Front Upper Arms (biceps), Back Upper Arms (triceps), Forearms (brachioradialis)- For slinky, sexy arms and shoulders for sleeveless clothing.

Possible Exercises: I use 8 lb. dumbbells and do 20 to 40 repetitions of each exercise.

  • Curls-bending at the elbow
  • Shoulder and Sideways Shoulder Lifts - extending the weight straight out in front of you up to shoulder height and the same exercise but moving the weight directly out from your side to shoulder height
  • Army Press (with a bar) or Dumbbell Press (independent weights)- pushing a light weight from shoulder height straight up to full arms length above your head
  • Pull ups, Push Ups and Dips (using your own body weight but with fewer repetitions- (about 20 total)

B) Upper Thigh (rectoris femoris) and Calves (gastrocnemius) - For slimmer, sexy legs.

Possible Exercises: I make a point of using less than my own body weight with 15 to 20 repetitions of each exercise.

  • Lying and Standing Leg Presses - like deep knee bends with weight attached.
  • Running, Walking, Various Running and Walking Machines

C) Upper Back (Lats)- Small lats will help the illusion of wider hips. Also you’ll fit better into jackets and tight blouses.

Possible exercises: I either use 50 lbs. for machine weight or my own body weight.

  • Lat Pulls - Pulling a machine weight from overhead to behind your neck just below shoulder height.
  • Spread Pull Ups - Doing pulls ups on a special bar which requires your arms to be spread out past shoulder width.

Muscle Groups to Build:

These muscles can be increased, creating an androgynous or feminine framework for padding and feminine cut clothes which won't detract from your male appearance.

The key here is to do a variety of exercises which work these muscles but to do it with moderate weight (equal to or greater than your own bodyweight) and a moderate to high number of repetitions(20-60).

A) Chest (pectorals) - Helps to shape “breast” area

  • Possible Exercises: I use more than my body weight for free weight presses and 60-70 lbs. for machine weight. You have to be careful not to overwork your shoulders, biceps and triceps. The Overhand/Underhand pulls helps to isolate the pectorals.
  • Overhand and Underhand pulls - Like a lat-pull but with arms fully extended in straight out in front of you. Pull down from over your head down to your waist. Holding the bar overhand works the upper/outer portion of the pecks, underhand works the upper and inside portion of the pecks. (max 15 - 20 reps)
  • Bench Press - Lying on your back and raising and lowering a barbell to you chest just across the nipple line. (max 20 - 30 reps)
  • Pushups and Dips - your own body weight (10 - 15 reps)

B) Buttocks (gluteus maximus) and Lower Back of Thigh (bicep femoris)- For sexy butt and shapely legs

Possible Exercises: I use more than my body weight for most of these exercises. You have to be careful not to overwork the front of your thigh and your calves.

  • Standing Legs Press Machine (This machine keeps the weight in a track which glides up and down): Tip Toe/Lean Back - With the weight on your shoulders walk forward until you feet, toes together, are about 18 inches in front of your shoulders. You are now leaning back. Lower the weight by bending your knees going as low as you can go while jutting you butt out as far behind you as possible. I use the equivalent of my body weight on the bar and do about 30-45 reps. (Works the upper and inner portion of the gluts).
  • Deep Knee Bends- Same machine but feet are slightly behind you shoulders and spread about shoulder length. You will be moving up and down, keep your butt jutting out as much as possible. Same weight and number of reps. (Works the outer and lower portion of the gluts).
  • Lying Thigh Curl - Uses a machine which has you lying on your front while lifting a rotating weight with your heels and calves. Pull the weight up toward your butt going up to about a 60degree angle. Going too far up begins to work the upper thigh and all you want to builds here is the lower back portion of your thigh.

C) Hips (tensor fasciae-front of hip and gluteus medius-back of hip) -For wider hips and illusion of smaller waist.

Possible Exercises:

  • Standing Hip Press - a special machine that makes you hold you leg out at a 90-degree angle and then rotate your leg in kind of a chorus line kick while pushing down on a weighted lever. (50-70 lbs at about 30 reps per leg).
  • Leg Pull- attach a machine weight to your ankle and pull from center out to past your shoulder. (30 - 50 lbs at about 30 reps per leg)

D) Inner and Outer Thighs (semitendinous, abductor longus and tensor fasciae)- Shapely more feminine legs.

  • Abductor Machines - These require that you either spread you legs as far apart as possible and then squeeze them together slowly (inner thigh) or that you begin with your legs together and push them as far apart as possible (outer thigh). It is also possible to get some lower glut benefits (extra detail on butt cheeks) as well. (70 - 120 lbs with 20 reps for each machine)

E) Abdominals- You can benefit greatly from abdominal exercise. However, you should be careful with obliques-the sides of the abdomen at your waist- because if you overbuild them you could ad mass to your waist. - For a sexy female waist in conjunction with a waist nipper.

Possible exercises: There are whole volumes on this subject...most of these exercises can be done without weighted machines.

Warnings and disclaimers:

  1. I’m not an exercise physiologist so you should get some kind of professional validation/advice, especially if you’ve never done weighted exercises before.
  2. There are lower back protection belts and other safety precautions which should be applied when exercising with weights.
  3. Given genetics and your willingness/ability to lose weight your results could vary.
  4. There are a wide variety of exercises to accomplish each muscle group change. I listed the muscle groups by their anatomical names so you can do additional research or ask a trainer.
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